Say Yes
by trolltasm
Summary: InuYasha is dying. Poisoned during his human time, he stands little chance of recovering on his own. It is left to Kagome to save him, but well, that is easier said than done, especially when the solution involves InuYasha's irritable older brother. And, well, Kagome always did have a way of finding trouble. (Now a two-shot)
1. Chapter 1

A/n: _I am debating adding a second and final part, but we shall see. As it stands now, the piece is finished. But of course, I fall to peer pressure quite easily so who knows? It might just get a second part. Enjoy!_

* * *

"InuYasha's dying," his half-brother's priestess announced as he flew overhead in search of his ward in village.

"That is no concern of this one," he said simply though idly he wondered what had brought his half-brother so low so quickly when even Naraku had failed.

It appeared that he'd underestimated the woman, however, because she notched an arrow and fired it at him with enough reiki to sizzle his yoki into action. It felt like he'd been jolted by lightning.

Her arrow bounced off of the hilt of his blade and he had the uncomfortable feeling that it had been deliberate.

He maintained his cloud but did not move forward. The wretched woman wanted his attention and she would have it. He was in a rather sore mood himself; he had been the recipient of a rather uncomfortable meeting with his mother, who had blithely announced she'd found the perfect mate for him. Beautiful yet with enough power to allow his line to breed true.

From that, he'd assumed the chit was not inuyokai—hardly surprising when he considered the fact that his clan had begun to die out between the warring with humans and with themselves. A few had even been weak enough to be destroyed by Naraku.

He hadn't bothered to stick around and hear his mother's pronouncement of who she felt he should marry now that she'd decided it was high time he produce an heir. He had, after all, proven himself worthy and surpassed his father and of course therefore it was time to get his future household and clan in order. At least to his mother, it was.

So he'd left his mother there in the clearing, still running her mouth off about his future mate, and had gone in search of his ward and her calming influence.

Yet now he had been waylaid again by his infernal half-brother's woman.

Perhaps she would at least give him a battle worthy of the fire in his blood.

He flicked the hit of his sword, popping a few inches of the blade free of the sheathe.

"It's poison," the woman said, evidently misinterpreting his pause as a willingness to entertain her. "A yokai bit him during his human time. We've tried everything but we can't seem to get the wound to clot and without his hanyo strength I'm not sure he'll make it."

The guilt over releasing InuYasha's secret was evident but he ignored it. He'd long learned of the hanyo's secret. It was, after all, a common affliction to those of hanyo blood, yet another reason why his kind didn't tolerate them.

"You're a poison based inuyokai, right?" she continued quickly. "So maybe you can help us. I was going to seek out Jinenji but with how quickly InuYasha is fading, I was worried he wouldn't make it in time."

"If InuYasha is weak enough to succumb to his human blood, that is his own concern." His words were blunt and he ignored the irritation he could see plainly on her face.

"Don't be such an ass," she hissed.

Before he could draw his sword clear of its sheathe for the the affront, his mother made her appearance.

It seemed she was not quite willing to give up on the idea of Sesshomaru producing an heir for her, whether he wanted to or not.

His mother landed in the clearing and shifts back to her humanoid form. "How horrible it is that this one should have to bear insult from her only son." She glared at Sesshomaru as he debated the wisdom of trying to escape both women but resigning himself to the fact that both appeared determined enough to pursue him.

"Your mother?" The priestess turned and to his surprise offered a polite bow to the inuyokai. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Kagome."

His mother seemed surprised but inclined her head regally nonetheless. She was nothing short of the epitome of poise, no matter the circumstances, but it still amused Sesshomaru to see his mother forced into acknowledging a human woman—and a priestess at that.

"Likewise," his mother responded, raising her fan to her lower face to hide her expression. "So this is why you fled your honorable mother, Sesshomaru?"

The priestess shifted her weight. "Not exactly," she spoke up and he was content to let her. Better she deal with his mother than him.

In fact, if the priestess distracted his mother enough, he likely could continue on his way, unnoticed.

"Sesshomaru is—"

His mother's brow raised and Sesshomaru realized the assumption she made just seconds before she spoke. "You have already accepted?" she asked carefully.

Knowing the priestess's tendency for rashness, Sesshomaru wearily decided he would have to step in before the situation became even more taxing.

His half-brother's woman, however, evidently did not see fit to allow him to handle the situation.

"Accept what?" Kagome asked blankly. "I was trying to get Sesshomaru to agree to—"

"_You_?" His mother's disapproval was evident. "Has this one's son's honor sunk so low that he must be _asked_ instead of offering?"

She turned accusing eyes on him and in his childhood that expression alone had him wishing to cower. Now, however, not only had he reached maturity, but he had also come into his power, surpassing even his esteemed father.

He cowered before no one, least of all his own mother.

"You may have surpassed your honorable father, pup, but this will not do. It simply will not do. You will do this properly, Sesshomaru, or I will ensure it is done _for_ you."

The priestess looked relieved. "You can help?" she asked as the tension left her shoulders.

"Of course I can," his mother said with a sideways glance at Sesshomaru. "And I will."

He was unnerved at the direction the conversation had turned and sought to find a way to extricate himself from the situation.

"She is human," Sesshomaru said calmly, refusing to show that he was taken aback by how easily his mother accepted the human priestess.

She had, after all, been far less tolerant of InuYasha's mother, though she had made it clear that she would not interfere with her husband's wishes. Multiple mates were not unheard of and his first wife's status could not be changed or diminished now that she had produced his heir. What her husband did outside of her bed was of little concern as long as she did not have to deal with the issue herself.

"She is the Shiloh priestess," his mother retorted just as blithely. "She is worthy enough."

Kagome shifted her weight. "Can we head over to InuYasha then? I'm worried about him."

"Of course," his mother agreed readily, clicking her fan closed with a graceful flick of her hand. "After all, he has been your guardian these last few years, has he not?"

His mother gave him a look that dared him to say otherwise.

Sesshomaru held his silence. He wouldn't allow his mother to bait and needle him into action. She could play her games with others, but he would not be manipulated into following blindly along.

But she was still his mother and was due respect for that alone. Her station as his father's first wife accorded her even higher status which meant Sesshomaru could do little outright except ignore her ploys.

He was, however, resigned to helping InuYasha now. There was no way he could see out of that situation.

.

Kagome's knees had nearly bucked in relief at Sesshomaru's mother's easy acceptance of aid for InuYasha. She didn't know why the inuyokai was so willing to help or how she'd known, but she didn't care, either.

InuYasha would get what he needed and that was what mattered.

But she had to admit they made an odd group as the three of them headed back to the village. Sesshomaru had evidently deemed it more expedient to travel via his cloud and he had reluctantly allowed her onto it beside him.

Kagome didn't care. He could be as reluctant and unhappy as he wanted as long as he helped.

When they reached the hut she shared with InuYasha and occasionally Shippo whenever he visited, she turned back at the doorway to issue a warning.

"He's really badly off," she said quietly. "So whatever you need to do, please do it quickly. I'm not sure how long he can hang on."

She ushered Sesshomaru and his mother inside and then rushed over to her best friend. Ultimately, after she'd returned to this era, they had intended to wed. As time passed, however, the plans seemed to get pushed further and further back until Kagome was no longer really sure what InuYasha actually wanted.

But she forced herself to think about the matter at hand, not her uncertain future.

InuYasha lay on his futon, drenched in a cold sweat. Lines of purplish poison streaked his body in a way that was eerily reminiscent of the damage she'd once healed in Kikyo's body, but no matter how she tried, this poison did not respond to her reiki.

His firerat clothing had been stripped off and he'd been left in his fundoshi, though he showed little awareness of his near-nakedness. His eyes were closed and his black hair clung to his body, damp with sweat.

"Well this won't do," Sesshomaru's mother murmured. "We can hardly apprise him of recent events in this condition. No wonder you had to ask this one's son yourself, priestess. He certainly was in no shape to ask himself."

Kagome laughed awkwardly, unable to picture InuYasha asking his brother for anything. "Can you help?"

"Of course. Where do you think this one's son inherited his poison from?" His mother casually rolled up her elegant sleeves. "Bring clean cloth and boiled water. This one shall begin at once."

Kagome ran off to fetch exactly that and over the next few hours, she acted as an assistant to Sesshomaru's mother. Under her bidding, both Sesshomaru and Kagome herself helped his mother attend to InuYasha.

His mother also explained her actions when Kagome expressed an interest. She explained the nature of the poison and showed Kagome key points on his body to draw the poison from InuYasha's body.

Kagome had set out at first light and by midday, InuYasha had lost the white pallor to his skin.

Seashomaru's mother leaned back but fell into proper posture as if it was second nature.

"This one has done what she can. The rest depends on his own strength."

"Thank you," Kagome said fervently, bowing. "I don't know what we would have done without your help."

His mother waved a dismissive hand. "It was an honor to assist family. He is, after all, the son of this one's honorable mate. However, it was this one's son who is most deserving of your proses. It is his poison that neutralized the poison coursing through the hanyo's veins."

Kagome pressed her lips to hide her smile. She had already decided she wouldn't tell InuYasha how his brother had used his poison. She just hoped the bites healed before InuYasha woke and noticed them.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," she said sincerely, bowing again.

He inclined his head.

His mother rose as she rolled her sleeves down. "This one shall hunt," she announced. "It has been awhile since she has enjoyed the thrill and the fresh meat will help this one's husband's second son regain his strength. Will you join this one?"

It was a question but Kagome sensed Sesshomaru's mother wasn't really asking. Sesshomaru inclined his head in agreement.

The two swept out of the hut as Kagome began to get a fire going in the pit in the center of their hut. If they were bringing back fresh meat, she was going to have to cook it. She might as well get set up now.

.

InuYasha did not regain consciousness until night fell and his hanyo powers returned to him. Still, it was more than obvious that he wasn't yet at full strength.

By then, Sesshomaru and his mother had returned with several deer and the three of them had dressed and begun cooking the deer, to Kagome's surprise. There was a broth simmering on the fire and for InuYasha and the excess meat had been placed on a rack to dry.

Evidently, the first person InuYasha saw upon waking was his brother because he said, "Keh. What're you doing here, yah bastard?"

"The priestess requested this one's help," Sesshomaru replied and couldn't resist adding, "She was...most insistent."

"Which is only natural, of course," His mother said smoothly, apparently oblivious to the tension between the two. "After all, this one's son is hardly likely to deny a request from his new mate."

InuYasha and Kagome both gaped as Sesshomaru sighed quietly.

"M-mate?" Kagome squeaked.

"Ain't no way in hell she mated the bastard." InuYasha pushed himself to sit up and lean against the wall as he glared.

Sesshomaru's mother simply smiled. "This one is aware that you are unaware of the ways of your clan. However, she is quite mated. She made a request to his pack lead female and it was accepted. Therefore, they are mated, quite finally, in fact. This one suggests you get used to it, young pup. Your priestess is taken with him and shall soon be taken _by_ him."

His mother rose to stand after dropping that bombshell. "Now that this one has done her duty in announcing the mating to the priestess's former guardian, it is time to return home. Do visit, Sesshomaru. It has been long since my palace has seen young pups but it is a sound this one looks forward to again. She is, however, impressed you had already selected the mate she had chosen for you."

Sesshomaru's mother left without another word, ignoring InuYasha's heated cursing.

_What the hell just happened? What does she mean, she chose me? I should get a say in this, too, dammit! It's my life!_ Kagome felt dazed and bemused and part of her was convinced that this was just some sort of a twisted dream.

"I won't accept this," InuYasha hissed. "Ain't no way in hell K'gome is going with you."

"There is little you can do," Sesshomaru said before Kagome could speak. "The alpha female has the right to decide on all matings in her pack, though her mate often has a say as well. As this one had not yet mated, she alone had the right to recognize his mate."

Sesshomaru was far too blasé for Kagome's liking.

"Then K'gome can undo it." InuYasha tucked his hands together but the movement looked a bit silly without his firerat robe. "She's the alpha female now, right?"

"Oh!" Kagome grinned, relieved at how easily it would be to dissolve the mating she'd been ushered into without consent. "Then let's do that!"

But Sesshomaru shook just his head. "The priestess has not assumed her role yet. Until the bond is consummated and she has taken her place in this one's palace, she is his mate but not the alpha female. By then, it would be too late. The bond cannot be undone."

"What if your mother changes her mind?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"Keh. That woman ain't changed her mind yet." InuYasha had managed to keep from shouting but she could see how much effort it took.

"It is so." Sesshomaru inclined his head. "Though you did not wish it and neither did this one, the mating is final...mate."

Kagome flinched. "What if we stayed mated per your mother's decree but don't actually, ah, mate or live together? That happens sometimes where I'm from."

Sesshomaru raised a brow. "She has a mirror she uses to observe the world. Would you really like her to come back and continually interfere until we do as she bade?"

InuYasha snorted. "Let her. I can take her."

"You aren't fighting anyone, idiot," Kagome snapped, "especially not family. Your father wouldn't want that and neither would I."

"Then we make the best of the situation," Sesshomaru said calmly. "This one will return once his home is in order. He suggests you prepare yourself, Kagome. Within a fortnight, you will be his."

Kagome sank to the floor as reality set in but she lacked the words to express herself. All she could do was nod her agreement as her life was completely rearranged.

.

True to his word, Kagome was brought to Sesshomaru's palace in the sky two weeks later.

On the way, he had explained they were moving into his ancestral home. His mother apparently lived in a smaller version that was reserved for the old alphas when their heirs proved their powers had surpassed their sire's. Since Sesshomaru's father had passed, his mother had taken up residence on her own and apparently ruled it quite intelligently.

Unfortunately, it meant his mother was close enough to visit regularly and Sesshomaru seemed to suspect she would.

Evidently the former alpha female strongly desired grandchildren and had chosen Kagome to bear them. Sesshomaru seemed to think it was due to her exposure to the Shikon jewel and her own innate power. She was immune to time, after all, and it was believed her pups would be hanyo by definition but closer to yokai in power, with added boon of being resistant to the holy power of humans.

Sesshomaru had brought her to her rooms and offered to consummate the mating there but Kagome had freaked when he moved closer. His kiss was flat, emotionless, and Kagome couldn't bring herself to go through with it.

He had decided to give her time to grow accustomed to the arrangement between them, but Kagome saw it differently. If they were going to be stuck together for the rest of their lives, then she was going to ensure it was not a passionless existence.

She didn't love him, nor did he love her. But if they were going to have a family, by god, he was going to have to learn. And so would she.

Kagome simply refused to accept any less than his heart. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to fall for her. She didn't think she could cope with anything else. She'd dreamed of marrying someone she loved and since that had been taken from her, her only option was to help him learn to love her from here on out.

And in doing so, hopefully, she'd be able to love him in return.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/n: Here you go. A bonus chapter I hadn't planned on doing but I cave so easily. No promises on an epilogue tho. It's done as-is, so enjoy!_

* * *

Sesshomaru left Kagome in his room and headed to his study, uncertain as to his next steps for the first time in his adult life.

Sesshomaru wasn't quite sure what he was to do with a mate. He understood the basics, of course—mate, reproduce, and then rear the resulting children together—but beyond that, he was at a loss.

His own parents were not the ideal role models, that much he knew. Not for what he wanted for his own offspring, at least.

His father had often been away for political intrigue and battle and Sesshomaru's mother had been emotionally absent after Sesshomaru had been old enough to begin training as a warrior. He had been six years old when he had been given his first practice blade and from then on, even if his mother had been present for his practice, she had been otherwise engaged.

Kagome was different. She would not hand off her children to a nursemaid while she engaged in court politics. She likely would not be content with him being absent, either, he realized, recalling her interactions with InuYasha's pack. She seemed to thrive on close interpersonal relationships.

Likely, he could deduce therefore that she would insist on a close familial unit as well. A pack in the truest sense of the word.

He settles down at his desk, absently shuffling through the papers his vassal had left. Jaken might be useless in a fight and generally obnoxious, but there was no denying his skill with arithmetic and politics. Jaken had taken over reviewing Sesshomaru's documents as a matter of course when he first pledged himself to Sesshomaru's service and Sesshomaru hadn't wanted to waste breathe dissuading him.

Jaken had, surprisingly, proven his usefulness and that alone had made his constant chattering worth enduring. All Sesshomaru had to do was review Jaken's notes and agree or disagree with the suggested plan of action. It was a most welcome change from dealing directly with the hassle himself.

Though he sat perfectly on the cushion before his desk, his claws tapping against the table betrayed his mood.

His mate had been disinterested in consummating their relationship. She likely would continue to be opposed, given her reaction to a chaste kiss.

On the other hand, he hadn't been overeager himself. He had not planned on taking a mate so soon and had not even really begun to consider the qualities he wanted in one. He certainly had not spent much time in the company of a woman, Rin excluded. In that, at least, he could admit Kagome had far more experience. Until recently, he had been under the impression Kagome would mate his half-brother and she regularly befriended the majority of people she came across.

Yet the very core of his being would not allow Kagome to lead him. If he wished for peace in his home and a contented mating—for they would be together too long to settle for anything else, unless Sesshomaru wished to be chased from his home—then he would have to find a way of remedying the situation himself.

.

Never let it be said that Kagome Higurashi backed down from a challenge.

She plotted and planned after Sesshomaru left and the following morning, she set out to implement her plans.

Sesshomaru had not returned to the room the night before, so her first order of business was finding out where he was. She'd thought she'd find him in the dining area to share breakfast with him, but not only had he not been there, breakfast hadn't been, either. Nor were there any servants to ask and a kitchen was nowhere in sight.

She was miffed. She'd found the dining room easily enough, but she was hungry and more than a little cranky. InuYasha are as often as the rest of them had, so it didn't even cross her mind that Sesshomaru might not.

By the time she'd found him, all her good intentions and plans had gone out the window in favor of hunger and the moodiness it brought. She hadn't had dinner, either, but hadn't really taken note of it at the time.

Now her hunger returned with a vengeance and when she found him in his study, she was too annoyed to remember her good intentions.

He sat perfectly on the cushion and he might well have been a statue. She doubted he hadn't noticed her arrival, but he gave no evidence that he had.

Her temper boiled. "Letting me go hungry is not a good way to start a marriage," she warned, trying her best to push back her temper. She wasn't a kid anymore and she wouldn't resort to screaming matches, no matter how satisfying she might find them.

He blinked and finally looked at her. "You ate before I collected you," he said. Though his tone had its normal cadence, she sensed his confusion.

She took a deep breath. "Yes, and that was yesterday. Humans need at least three balanced meals a day, Sesshomaru. Surely you haven't forgotten that after traveling with Rin."

She tried to be gracious. It had been a few years since he'd traveled with Rin, so maybe he really had forgotten.

"Rin looked after herself," he explained much to her surprise. Then he admitted, "Jaken was charged with her care, so perhaps it is more accurate to say the two of them ensured her needs were met."

Kagome stared at him. "You let a seven year old child take care of herself?" she asked carefully.

He seemed bemused by the question. "I was left to look after myself when I was six," he said neutrally. "She was on her own when we crossed paths and was more then capable of looking after herself at the time."

"At six?" Kagome was horrified at the thought of a young Sesshomaru left to take care of himself when his parents had been very much alive. She pressed her hands together to try and calm herself. "Didn't your mother—" He shook his head slightly before she could finish the question. "Well," she tried again, "then surely your father—"

He shook his head again and a missing piece seemed to slide into place. If he'd been left on his own at six, no wonder he hadn't tried to interfere with InuYasha, who had been about the same age when his own mother had passed on. He'd likely assumed InuYasha could take care of himself, and when InuYasha continued to live in spite of the hostile conditions, it had probably only reinforced his beliefs.

"Okay," Kagome said slowly, her heart going out to him in spite of herself. "Well in the human world, kids are looked after their parents until their late teens at the earliest, Sesshomaru. We aren't abandoning our kids. Human parents often remain in their kids' lives well into adulthood."

She flushed as his eyes widened.

"I did not believe you would," he said, standing up. He made his way over to the door and slid it open.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Come. We shall find you something to eat and I will inform the staff of your nutritional needs." He ushered her through the door.

"I don't like eating alone, Sesshomaru," she warned as she exited the study.

He opened his mouth and then seemed to reconsider. "Then I will join you," he said after a moment as he followed her outside the room.

"How often do you eat, anyway?" She eyes his lean, muscular figure. He had she did his armor at some point after they arrived and changed from the white and purple outfit she'd grown accustomed to seeing him in into a dark blue version that sported a delicate white and black pattern instead.

He glanced down at her for a moment. "It depends," he said levelly, "on what I have eaten last."

He seemed to sense that she would prompt him to explain because he added, "Every few days or so."

He then ushered her forward. "Come. It would appear that you have missed several meals, something that must be immediately remedied."

She belatedly realized as she followed after him that he had stopped referring to himself in the third person.

Surely that counted as progress.

.

True to his word, Sesshomaru joined Kagome at mealtime.

The first meal she'd been served had been borderline inedible, much to her annoyance and Sesshomaru's thinly veiled irritation. He had taken his leave of her to attend to the matter himself and whatever he'd done, the meals going forward had been much more palatable.

It had taken a few weeks for her to learn why: he had added a human chef to his staff.

That alone had warmed her heart because he didn't strike her as a yokai who wanted humans in his personal space. Yet his staff could not properly care for her needs and so he sought to remedy the situation without being prodded. InuYasha would have simply left the task to her. If she'd insisted, he'd have helped, but he'd have complained about it.

She found herself comparing the two brothers, though she knew it wasn't really fair to either one. But Sesshomaru came out ahead more often than not.

She'd found him training in a dojo with some of his vassals one day, showing off his prowess for what she'd later learned had been his new palace guard. He had wanted more staff around the family wing in anticipation of a growing family and had sought to hire yokai and even hanyo who would be willing to protect a priestess and her future hanyo offspring.

He'd been flawless as he tested each of the new guards in turn. Though he remained fully clothed, she could almost see his bared muscular form highlighted by every movement he made, and none of his actions ever seemed to be for anything other than ruthless determination. And yet, it was as though he'd been showing off.

Later that day when he'd offered to escort her to lunch, she hadn't been able to withhold her praise. A smile has touched his lips. A slight smile, but a genuine one nonetheless and she'd nearly misstepped in surprise.

He was trying, she admitted. He had realized she wanted more and he was trying.

He'd later offered to teach her how to use a sword, but try as she might, she couldn't quite get over the awkwardness of it. The bow felt more right in her hands and finally he'd relented. He ensured she received more instruction in the bow and seemed to understand her desire to rely on her own powers and abilities, for scrolls on reiki soon found their way into his library.

She couldn't deny, however, that he'd been a very patient teacher and had been quick to focus on her successes more than her failures.

That was Sesshomaru in a nutshell. He was subtle and did not broadcast his actions—though Jaken continued to try on his behalf—and though he frequently erred in his attempts to acclimate her to life in his palace, he continued to quietly work on his own shortfalls.

She was grateful he made life more comfortable, but she wanted more. She wanted there to be affection between them but she couldn't quite figure out how to go about it. Every plan she had seemed to fall apart

When she suggested an intimate dinner by candlelight, she ended up setting her own sleeves on the kimono he'd purchased for her on fire, unused as she was to the change in dress. Fortunately, Sesshomaru had helped her put out the fire before she'd sustained more than minor burns. When she requested a garden stroll, she ended up tumbling head first into the pool that lay in its center. Only Sesshomaru's quick reflexes had saved her from a watery ending. And when she suggested a pleasant horseback ride, she'd rapidly learned that it was far easier to be unseated by a yokai horse than it was by a regular horse and once again, Sesshomaru had to interfere to keep her from breaking her neck.

All in all, she was becoming rather disheartened. If she didn't know any better, she'd have sworn she was paying back a former lifetime of horrible karma.

.

The woman was a walking disaster, Sesshomaru thought to himself with some amusement.

He was aware she was trying to build affection between them. Just a few short months ago, he'd been completely untutored in the ways of human courtship, but though he'd never admit it aloud, he had begun taking daily trips to human villages to observe. He did not fully understand Kagome and he had thought knowing more about her kind would help.

It had, to some degree, but he'd been forced to accept that Kagome herself was an aberration.

Despite her multitudinous failures, however, she remained dedicated to the cause, which is why she was currently trying her best to teach herself Go. She had claimed couples shared interests and when she'd learned he was a talented Go player, she had set herself to learning the basics with the help of a scroll he'd located for the purpose.

It should have been a simple task so he'd seen no harm in allowing her to practice on her own. Yet when he'd gone to check in on her out of mild concern, he realized he'd been foolish to assume she could handle even this without issue.

How on earth had his half-brother managed to keep the woman _alive_?

Kagome had managed to set up the board directly under a wasp's nest in his garden. Likely she'd thought to enjoy the shade, but at some point, she'd managed to irritate the wasps into action. She had been forced to flee their stings and had run straight first into a crane yokai maid who'd been airing out the bedding. She'd startled the maid who had screamed and flicked the bedding into the hoard of angry wasps, inciting them further. Both females had taken off in terror, running straight for the palace hot springs.

Unfortunately, they hadn't chosen the private baths but the public ones that were currently in use by the palace guards. That hadn't stopped the females from jumping in, nor had it stopped the wasps from changing their targets to the guards dressed only in their fundoshi.

That had been when Sesshomaru appeared and it had taken a good deal of work to bring things back into order.

By the time things had settled down, half a dozen guards had stings severe enough that they'd be out of commission for the day to heal and everyone involved had required a wellness check by the resident doctor.

The doctor had been less than amused and was currently scolding one of the guards for attempting to slash the wasps with his claws—which had only incited their ire further.

Haruhito, the captain of the palace guard, watched the scene before them with no small amount of amusement.

"Your intended seems to be most unfortunate, Sesshomaru-sama" Haruhito observed, folding his arms across his chest.

"So it would seem," he replied to the fire yokai.

Haruhito smirked. "Perhaps we should be training these guards to be nursemaids instead. It seems the greatest danger to Kagome-sama is Kagome-sama herself."

Sesshomaru ignored the jab as he made his way over to Kagome, who had begun apologizing profusely for the situation.

"Calm yourself, Kagome," he said, holding out a hand. "It was my error for not ensuring you had adequate protection. From now on, a guard shall be with you at all times if I myself am unavailable."

Kagome gave him a dirty look. "I don't need a nursemaid, Sesshomaru," she said and he knew that she'd overheard Haruhito's remark.

"If this is what I can come to expect from you," he said, allowing a teasing grin to form on his lips, "then I should begin looking into an army of nursemaids for our future offspring. After all, if my guard cannot keep you from danger, I fear what our children will require to keep them from harm."

Kagome threw a roll of bandages at him and growled when he'd dodged it.

Sesshomaru had then left, having ensured both her health and his own amusement.

The rest of the day, he'd had a smile on his face. Jaken, upon noticing, had promptly fainted.

.

Sesshomaru hadn't brought up the mating bond since their arrival and the weeks began to blur into months. Before Kagome quite realized it, the spring she'd arrived in had promptly turned into the height of winter and the palace in the sky was currently under a few feet of snow.

Kagome remained indoors. Sesshomaru had offered to have a barrier installed to keep out the winter snow, but Kagome felt it was a ridiculous waste of power and refused. She was uncomfortable in the cold but it wasn't life-threatening and Sesshomaru ensured her room had plenty of blankets and a fire was constantly maintained in both the library and her room.

Their relationship came more easily now, but though Sesshomaru had begun to tease her, they'd made no real progress. He still slept in separate rooms, though she was certain he'd installed her in the room that had been his own. It was the only room that connected to a private's hot spring aside from the nursery.

"What do inuyokai do when courting," she asked him one night at dinner. The first time, he hadn't answered her but she had the feeling he'd be more willing to respond now. He had grown more open in the past few months.

He seemed to consider the question as he lifted a cup of yokai sake to his lips. She'd tried the drink once and had ended up blacking out, but the strength never seemed to affect Sesshomaru. He'd made it his habit to have a few cups before bed, but if he'd gotten drunk, she'd never noticed.

"Father gave Mother an enchanted mirror when they mated so she would always be able to see him," he mused. "I am not sure what he gave her in their courtship, but Mother swears all of her jewelry and hair pins were commissioned directly by him for her."

"Aside from the mirror, that doesn't sound too different from humans," Kagome replied, amused. She'd expected something... well, more violent and bloody.

He raised a brow. "What did you expect, Kagome? A skull of his rival presented to her, still dripping in blood?"

She blanched and set aside the venison she'd been served. "Did he?"

He chuckled, a delightful low rumble, and she realized it was the first time she'd heard him laugh in genuine amusement. "No."

Kagome sighed in relief but she still couldn't bring herself to resume eating the deer.

"He did, however, present her a necklace made from his own fangs." He took another sip. "It is also said that he had a rival's bones made into hair pins and combs."

"Ew, Sesshomaru. Did you really have to say that during dinner?" Kagome shuddered with revulsion.

He grinned. "Shall I gift you a matching pair?"

He was baiting her, she knew, so she bit down on the instinctive need to protest and instead said sweetly, "But you don't have any rivals."

She had grown used to his odd humor and his teasing, and figured it was time to return it in full.

He looked surprised. "Did no one else ever court you?"

"No." She and InuYasha had talked about marriage, once, but he'd never actually courted her and she didn't consider Koga's antics courtship, either. "Well, a human boy back home did ask me out a few times, but it wasn't anything serious."

"I see." He met and held her gaze. "I would have thought the Shikon priestess to be in high demand."

She shrugged. "I guess not. Besides, I have an unfortunate tendency to find trouble."

"I've noticed," he commented dryly but she saw the smirk he attempted to hide. "But you are worth the trouble."

It was the nicest thing he'd ever said about her so Kagome blurted, "Stay with me tonight."

His eyes widened and he gaped at her.

"Not like that," she said quickly so that he wouldn't misunderstand, "but it's your room, too. There's plenty of room for another futon."

His golden eyes had a few glitters of red in them. "I see. Do you think that wise, Kagome?"

She could feel her heart kick up at the look in his eyes and she swallowed. "I trust you."

"Do you know?" He leaned closer and she realized he was moving in as if he wanted to kiss her.

_Would_ he kiss her? Did she want him to?

She abruptly remembered their first and last kiss and leaned away from him. "Sesshomaru, you're too close," she complained.

"Perhaps I am not close enough," he rumbled, moving forward until she hit the wooden wall and couldn't retreat further. "I enjoy your company, Kagome."

She licked her dry lips. "I like yours, when you're not being an asshole," she said and then remembered the last time she'd called him one.

Sesshomaru glanced down at her lips. "Have you kissed anyone before, Kagome?"

"You," she reminded him, deciding it was better to not tell him then that she'd kissed his half-brother before. "Not that it was a good kiss."

His brows shot up at her complaint. "Bold," he murmured, his low voice adding to the sudden intimacy. "How shameful for me to not have remedied that experience for you sooner."

"Now, Sesshomaru," she began, readying a protest to stop him from doing exactly what he was about to do.

"Kagome," he interrupted smoothly, reaching around to rest his hand on her lower back.

"Y-yes?" she asked breathlessly as he leaned in until she could feel his breath on hers.

"Quiet," he said in that commanding voice of his as he cupped her chin to lift her face to his. "It is time. Let me show you what feelings you create in me."

And then he kissed her. Unlike the first kiss, this one was far from listless. He took his time, sampling and teasing and kissing her so thoroughly that by the time he pulled away, she'd forgotten nearly everything but his name.

He pulled away just enough to whisper that he found her fascinating, that he cared for her, and if she'd had a protest left then, it would have died a short death.

But then he kissed her again and all sense of rationale faded away. His heart, which had remained so elusive 'til then, suddenly seemed to shine through.

Sesshomaru cared for her. Despite her failed ploys and reckless sense of judgment, he cared for her. It was in the way he held her, the way he kissed her, and to her astonishment, in the words she swore he whispered to her in between kisses.

The last chink in his armor had vanished and as Kagome relaxed in his embrace, she realized that even if they didn't take the next step tonight, it wouldn't be much longer before they did.

Kagome smiled and whispered the feelings she'd only recently realized had been blooming in her heart.

Sesshomaru froze for a moment, evidently not expecting her to repeat the words back to him.

And then he smiled at her, for once gentle and not at all teasing, and asked, "Will you be this one's mate, Kagome?"

She smiled back. "Silly yokai. I thought I already was."

"Not quite," he rumbled and then promised, "but you will be soon."

And then he kissed her again, pinning her to the wall with a passion she'd have never suspected he'd hid.

Her last thought that night was she'd have to send his mother some roses to thank her.


End file.
